Category Archives: What If?

I am exploring an idea to do with Small Gods. I’m considering having them form covenants, agreements of exchange, rather than simply grant spells as normal gods do for clerics. On the one hand, this opens the door to having non-clerics have access to powers from small gods (which is ideal, exactly what I want). […]

D&D 3e opened the door (in D&D-land) to any race/class combination. To encourage archetypal combinations they introduced the ‘favored class’, where characters of each race could (potentially) enjoy reduced experience point penalties when multiclassing with their favored class — with no effect whatsoever if they didn’t multiclass at all, regardless of class or favored class. […]

Matt Jackson (of lapsus calumni) asked on Google+ about the minimum required character traits for a light-weight RPG. Light enough that it doesn’t have classes. Taking some of the ideas there, I think the following might be workable. First, reduce things to their very basics and abstract them. What do the characters actually do during […]

My research process for Echelon usually involves pulling as much related material together as possible so I have it all in one place. That way I can work with a single document — print it out, scribble in margins, and so on, rather than packing around several books and something to write in, and it […]

I haven’t had a lot of response to my question about a New RPG Blog Planet, but what I have had has ranged from “sounds like a good idea” (with suggestions for alternatives) to “SQUEEE!” (which I interpret as fairly positive). I’ve had a bit more time to think about it, and am picturing the […]

I am aware of the RPG Blog Alliance (RPGBA) and the RPG Bloggers Network. Neither of them does exactly what I want. If I were to create a new RPG blog aggregator that would store the article texts in full (for search and index purposes only, I don’t want to ‘steal hits’ — display only […]

I floated an idea yesterday at google+, and figured I’d see if there’s broader appeal. I am considering (because I don’t seem to have enough things to do) starting a sandbox resource site, ideally with shared input. I’d likely create and manage the site but want submissions from other people interested. I favor a ‘node-oriented’ […]

It’s just an idle thought, really, but what if vampires (in D&D in particular) actually needed intelligent prey? They don’t chase them because they’re into gorgeous women in diaphanous nightgowns (though, honestly, that’s a good enough reason for me), but because their own intellect and ability to hold back their bestial hungers depend on the native […]

Something I’m considering for my next campaign is largely divorcing gods and the like from alignments altogether. Basically, the more powerful the god, the less the god is aligned. The idea here is that to gain full power over something, the god must encompass all aspects of it. This would preclude having an alignment. If […]